Extra loft lighting

TheOne

Hi all. I'm wondering if anyone can offer a little bit of extra advice, just to make sure I'm getting this right.
I currently have one light in my loft, with power taken from the landing ceiling rose and 2 way switched one in the landing, one in the loft.
There is also a double switch already in place in the loft (one currently being used, as above).
An electrician friend has given me a wiring diagram to attach a second light (or rather second batch of lights).
Here is what I currently have wired in:
(The earths are terminated as the light fittings don't have/require an earth)



So this is my question:
So I want switch #2 to operate light group #2

This is the diagram my friend has drawn me. Would this be from the same junction box, or an additional one?



Note the wire that is currently going to "Light group 1" is just going to a single bulb at the moment and that cable is coming out. I currently have a replacement cable in place to install linkable LED "tube lights" (this will still be "light group 1" operated from switch 1)

The junction box thing might be a bit unconventional as you would usually have at the light fitting - "supply in", "switch cable", "loop out", but that just moves that junction away from the light fitting an nearer the switch, so it's essentially the same thing I believe.

Here's the overall plan.
(The cables coming from the switch to "Light group 2, I guess could go as per the diagram, or one cable to the first lot of lights and then another from the first lights to the second lot)

CRH71

There's a much simpler, and potentially neater, resolution to your issue:

I'm working purely from your first diagram, incidentally - the computer-generated one.

Short piece (couple of inches, if that) of brown cable from light switch 1 "C" (Common) terminal to Light Switch 2 "C" terminal (these are both at the top on your diagram)

Connect "light block 2"'s live (brown or red) cable to the L1 position on light switch 2.

Connect "light block 2"'s neutral (blue or black) cable to the "N" connection in the existing loft junction box.

If "light block 2"'s power cable has an earth (green/yellow) then connect this to the Earth terminal in the existing loft junction box.

Repeat for each "light group" in lighting block 2 (the new one). Personally, I'd connect them both to "L1" on switch 2, but someone may come along presently and suggest you can also use "L2" to control one of the "new" lighting groups.

Light switch 1 in the loft now controls "Light block 1", and Light switch 2 in the loft controls "Light block 2".

Obviously, power off before touching, of course!

HTH

getmore4less

Do you want the switch outside the loft to operate one or both batches of lights?

Do you still want 2 way operation?

TheOne

CRH71 wrote: »

Short piece (couple of inches, if that) of brown cable from light switch 1 "C" (Common) terminal to Light Switch 2 "C" terminal (these are both at the top on your diagram)

Connect "light block 2"'s live (brown or red) cable to the L1 position on light switch 2.

Connect "light block 2"'s neutral (blue or black) cable to the "N" connection in the existing loft junction box.

Obviously, power off before touching, of course!

HTH

Ah so the short piece of cable between "C" and "C" to take power to the second switch, and then pretty much as my friend has drawn - The light's live cable going to L1 in the second switch

And the neutral from the light going to the neutral terminal in the existing junction box
(he has just drawn it going through a terminal block inside the light switch), but the way I have things laid out I can go direct from the junction box to the lights, as you suggest

Many thanks for your advice.

TheOne

getmore4less wrote: »

Do you want the switch outside the loft to operate one or both batches of lights?

Do you still want 2 way operation?

The switch on the landing is a 2 way switch that operates light group #1
(this is a 2 gang switch, the first of which operates the landing light.)

The first switch in the loft is the other half of this 2 way switch, therefore operates light group #1

The second switch, once wired in, will operate all remaining lights (possibly up to 4) in light group #2 - which I have yet to install.